Sharp color effect yarn

ABSTRACT

Processes are provided for the manufacture of color effect face yarns for use in tufted goods. These color effect yarns may exhibit unique color effects and contain a lower overall denier, thereby allowing the production of tufted goods with a greater than normal tuft density per unit area. Consequently, this can result in finer color effects and/or sharper definition of color effects in the tufted goods and expands the design possibilities for such products.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/011,337 entitled “SHARP COLOR EFFECT YARN,” filed Apr. 17, 2020, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally concerned with a color effect yarn for use as a face yarn in the manufacture of tufted goods, such as carpets, floorcoverings, and other textiles. Generally, the face yarn may allow the manufacture of such goods with fine and sharply defined color effects.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

Carpets, floorcoverings, and other piled textile products generally comprise one or more backing materials through which yarns are inserted in a chosen manner and patterned to provide resilient, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing products for use, for example, in a variety of domestic, commercial, and mass-transport settings. In the design of such products, these inserted yarns, commonly referred to as face yarns or tufting yarns, may come in a variety of forms. Thus, this allows the product designer considerable scope in providing a customer with a wide choice of constructions and appearances.

While there are a multitude of color effect face yarns available to product designers, both designers and customers are constantly in search of improvements in the appearance and properties of tufted goods. One manifestation of this is a desire for more detailed, sharper, color effects in such manufactured products. Thus, there is a need in the industry for color effect face yarns, which can allow such products to be designed and manufactured.

SUMMARY

In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure generally concerns a process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products. The process comprises: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns; (b) stuffer box crimping the drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) converging the drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (d) entangling the yarn bundle through an air-jet entangler to entangle the bundled singles yarns and thereby form the face yarn. Furthermore, the initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn and comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors. In addition, each of the drawn singles yarns has a denier of 100 to 320.

In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure generally concerns a process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products. The process comprises: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns; (b) stuffer box crimping the drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) entangling the drawn and crimped singles yarns in a first set of air-jet entanglers to thereby form a plurality of entangled singles yarns; (d) converging the entangled singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (e) entangling the yarn bundle through a second set of air-jet entanglers to entangle the bundled singles yarns and thereby form the face yarn. Furthermore, the initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn and comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors. In addition, each of the drawn singles yarns has a denier of 100 to 320.

In one or more embodiments, the present disclosure generally concerns a process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products. The process comprises: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns; (b) stuffer box crimping the drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) converging the drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (d) entangling the yarn bundle through an air-jet entangler to entangle the bundled singles yarns and thereby form the face yarn, wherein the face yarn comprises in the range of 2 to 8 singles yarns. Furthermore, the initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn and comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors. In addition, each of the drawn singles yarns has a denier of 200 to 320.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As discussed herein, a unique color effect yarn may be produced for use as a face yarn in the manufacture of tufted goods such as carpets, floorcoverings, and other textiles. The face yarns described herein may be used to produce various end products with sharply defined color effects.

An especially desirable type of face yarn is a multicomponent yarn constructed from a plurality of smaller component yarns, commonly referred to as “singles yarns,” at least one of which differs from the other singles yarns in one or more physical properties. Consequently, these styling yarns can be used to provide tufted goods with a variety of useful and/or aesthetic effects. A particularly useful type of face yarn is one that comprises at least one singles yarn which is of a different color, or different colorability, relative to the other singles yarns constituting the final face yarn. Such constructs may be processed in several different ways to produce a range of effects in the final product tufted goods.

The present invention is generally aimed at processes for the manufacture of color effect face yarns for use in tufted goods. More particularly, when compared to conventional face yarns presently available in today's market, the color effect yarns described herein may comprise a lower overall denier and thereby produce tufted goods with a greater than normal tuft density per unit area. Such an approach allows for finer color effects and/or sharper definition of color effects in the tufted goods, and thus expands the design possibilities for such products. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is also suggested that tufted goods with higher tuft density for the same unit weight, especially in the form of carpets and other floorcoverings, are easier to clean than equivalents with larger/denser tufts. Thus, this may reduce the maintenance cost of such products, which is known to be a major concern for customers in deciding between tufted flooring materials and non-tufted flooring, such as linoleum, vinyl, or wood.

The various characteristics and properties of the color effect yarns and the processes for producing such yarns are described below. It should be noted that, while all of the following characteristics and properties may be listed separately, it is envisioned that each of the following characteristics and/or properties of the following color effect yarns, singles yarns, and process steps are not mutually exclusive and may be combined and present in any combination.

The color effect yarns described herein may be in the form of a multicomponent yarn formed from a plurality of singles yarns, wherein at least one of the singles yarns exhibits a different color or colorability relative to the other singles yarns. Thus, in one or more embodiments, the color effect yarns of the present application may be formed by combining a plurality of singles yarns and processing them so as to form the resulting color effect yarn. For example, in such embodiments, a plurality of undrawn, melt-spun, polymeric continuous filament singles yarns, at least one of which is of a different color or different colorability relative to the other singles yarns, may be: (i) drawn, (ii) crimped, and (iii) optionally air-jet entangled. The resulting treated singles yarns may then be converged and intermittently or continuously air-jet entangled together.

As noted above, the formed yarns may be directly used as face yarns in the manufacture of tufted goods. Alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the resulting yarns may be further processed, for example by twisting, false-twisting, and/or wrapping, prior to being used as a face yarn.

As discussed above, the color effect yarns may be produced by processing a plurality of singles yarns, wherein at least one of the singles yarns exhibits a different color or colorability relative to the other singles yarns. For example, in one or more embodiments, a process for producing the color effect yarns can comprise: (i) providing a plurality of undrawn polymeric continuous filament singles yarns, wherein at least one of the singles yarns exhibits a different color or different colorability relative to the other singles yarns; (ii) separately and simultaneously drawing each of the singles yarns; (iii) crimping the drawn singles yarns in a stuffer box; and (iv) collectively air-jet entangling the single yarns in a controlled, intermittent or continuous manner so as to produce the color effect yarn.

Alternatively, in one or more embodiments, a process for producing the color effect yarns can comprise: (i) providing a plurality of undrawn polymeric continuous filament singles yarns, wherein at least one of the singles yarns exhibits a different color or different colorability relative to the other singles yarns; (ii) separately and simultaneously drawing each of the singles yarns; (iii) crimping the drawn singles yarns in a stuffer box; and (iv) separately and simultaneously air-jet entangling and converting the single yarns in a controlled, intermittent or continuous manner so as to produce the color effect yarn.

In one or more embodiments, the resulting color effect yarns described herein may optionally be further processed prior to tufting. Generally, such processing may include, but is not limited to, twisting, false-twisting, and/or wrapping with an additional component comprising a further filament or yarn.

The singles yarns used to form the color effect yarns described herein can comprise single yarns that are melt-spun, undrawn, and in the form of continuous filaments. In one or more embodiments, the initial singles yarns (i.e., the singles yarns prior to processing into the color effect yarn) may comprise melt-spun, undrawn, polymeric continuous filament singles yarns with a denier of at least 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, or 900 and/or less than 2000, 1800, 1600, 1400, 1200, or 1000. In certain embodiments, the initial singles yarns may comprise a denier of 800 and 1200 or 900 to 1000

Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the starting singles yarns may be comprised of any suitable number of individual filaments. For example, the starting singles yarns may comprise at least 2, 4, 6, 8, or 10 filaments and/or less than 50, 40, 30, 25, or 20 filaments. In certain embodiments, the starting singles yarns may comprise in the range of 10 to 20 filaments. Each of the filaments forming the initial singles yarn may comprise melt-spun, continuous filaments.

In one or more embodiments, the filaments forming a singles yarn may comprise filaments exhibiting different colors and/or colorabiliity from each other. For instance, a starting singles yarn may comprise a set number of filaments exhibiting one color (e.g., white) and a set number of filaments exhibiting a different color (e.g., red). Thus, in such embodiments, the starting single yarn may comprise at least 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 filaments and/or not more than 20, 15, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, or 3 filaments exhibiting different colors and/or colorability. For example, the starting yarns may comprise six red filaments, four white filaments, and one blue filament.

Alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the filaments forming a singles yarn may all exhibit the same color and/or colorability.

In one or more embodiments, the starting singles yarns may comprise melt-spun, undrawn, polymeric continuous filament singles yarns with a denier of 800 to 1200 or 900 to 1000. Additionally, in such embodiments, the singles yarns may comprise 10 to 20 filaments.

In one or more embodiments, the starting single yarns may be composed of polymeric continuous filaments comprising, consisting essentially of, or consisting of any suitable melt-processable, fiber-forming polymer. In certain embodiments, each of the filaments forming the singles yarns and/or the single yarns themselves may comprise at least 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 99, or 99.5 weight percent of one or more melt-processable, fiber-forming polymers. In more specific embodiments, each of the filaments forming the singles yarns and/or the single yarns themselves may be produced entirely from one or more melt-processable, fiber-forming polymers.

Generally, the fiber-forming polymers may comprise, but are not limited to, polyamides, polyesters, and/or polyolefins. The polymers forming the singles yarns may be derived from petroleum resources, renewable resources, mechanically recycled materials, and/or chemically recycled materials.

In certain embodiments, the singles yarns, particularly the filaments forming the singles yarns, may be produced from one or more polyamides. Examples of polyamides that may be used to form the singles yarns include Nylon 6; Nylon 11; Nylon 12; Nylon 6,6; Nylon 5,6; Nylon 4,6; Nylon 6,10; Nylon 6,12; and copolymers and blends thereof

In certain embodiments, the singles yarns, particularly the filaments forming the singles yarns, may be produced from one or more polyesters. Examples of polyesters that may be used to form the singles yarns include poly(ethylene terephthalate); poly(propylene terephthalate); poly(butylene terephthalate); poly(butylene succinate); poly(butylene adipate); poly(lactic acid); poly(hydroxybutyrate); and copolymers and blends thereof.

In certain embodiments, the singles yarns, particularly the filaments forming the singles yarns, may be produced from one or more polyolefins. Examples of polyolefins that may be used to form the singles yarns include polyethylene; polypropylene; and copolymers and blends thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the individual filaments forming the singles yarns may additionally contain one or more melt-incorporated additives, which can be introduced before or during the melt spinning of the filaments forming the singles yarns. The additives may include, but are not limited to, colorants (e.g., dyes and/or pigments), antioxidants, light stabilizers, metal deactivators, antimicrobials, antistatics, nucleating agents, antinucleating agents, lubricants, processing aids, or combinations thereof.

In one or more embodiments, the singles yarns utilized in the present invention may comprise or consist of filaments of any suitable cross-sectional shape. Exemplary shapes include, but are not limited to, round, oval, square, ribbon, bilobal, trilobal, delta, regular multilobal, irregular multilobal, and combinations thereof.

Turning back to the processes used to produce the color effect yarns described herein, the starting singles yarns may be separately and simultaneously drawn using methods and systems known to those skilled in the art. Exemplary drawing systems and techniques are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,408,376 and 5,804,115, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure. In one or more embodiments, the starting singles yarns may be separately and simultaneously drawn to a draw ratio of at least 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, or 3.0 and/or less than 10.0, 8.0, 6.0, 5.0, or 5.0. In certain embodiments, the starting singles yarns may be separately and simultaneously drawn to a ratio between 2.5 to 5.0 or 3.0 to 4.0.

In one or more embodiments, the drawn singles yarns may comprise a denier of at least 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 220, 240, 260, or 280. Additionally or alternatively, in one or more embodiments, the drawn singles yarns may comprise a denier of less than 600, 500, 450, 400, 380, 360, 340, 320, 310, 305, 300, 295, 290, or 285. In certain embodiments, the drawn singles yarns may comprise a denier of 280 to 320.

Following the drawing process, the plurality of drawn singles yarns may be subjected to a stuffer box crimping process, utilizing equipment and methods known to those skilled in the art. Generally, this crimping step does not involve crimping by thermal or chemical methods (e.g., hot water baths or chemical coatings), but instead relies on mechanical crimping using a stuffer box crimper, which utilizes a plurality of rollers to generate friction. Examples of suitable crimping equipment are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,346,258; 3,353,239; 4,004,330; and 7,152,288, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure.

Subsequently, in one or more embodiments, the plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns may be converged and conveyed to an air-jet entangling device, wherein they are air-jet entangled together in a controlled, intermittent or continuous, manner. The drawn and crimped singles yarns may be subjected to cable twisting, air twisting, and/or air entanglement. Examples of suitable entanglement equipment are described in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,592,119 and 6,848,151, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure.

In one or more embodiments, the plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns may be separately and simultaneously conveyed to a first set of air-jet entangling devices where each of the yarns is continuously air-jet entangled. Subsequently, the drawn, crimped, and entangled singles yarns may then be converged into a yarn bundle. Afterwards, the yarn bundle may be conveyed to a second air-jet entangling device where it is entangled in a controlled, intermittent or continuous, manner.

In one or more embodiments, the drawn, crimped, and entangled yarn may, optionally, be subjected to further processing after the air-jet entanglement of the plurality of singles yarns. For example, the further processing may include, but is not limited to, twisting, false-twisting, wrapping with additional polymeric continuous filament yarns, and/or wrapping with additional polymeric continuous single filaments.

Afterwards, in one or more embodiments, the drawn, crimped, and air-jet entangled product yarn may be passed over a set of tension roller and then sent to a take-up device, thus forming a bobbin of the color effect face yarn.

As noted above, the produced color effect face yarns may comprise a plurality of the starting singles yarns. For example, in one or more embodiments, the produced color effect face yarns may comprise at least 2, 3, 4, or 5 singles yarns and/or less than 30, 25, 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, or 8 singles yarns. In certain embodiments, the produced color effect face yarns may comprise in the range of 2 to 12 singles yarns, 3 to 8 singles yarns, or 3 to 4 singles yarns.

Additionally or alternatively, in various embodiments, at least one of the singles yarns in the color effect face yarns may comprise a different color or different colorability relative to the other singles yarns forming the color effect face yarns. For example, the color effect face yarns may comprise a plurality of singles yarns made up of at least 2, 3, 4, or 5 different colors.

The color effect face yarns may exhibit a lower denier relative to conventional face yarns presently available for tufted products. For example, in one or more embodiments, the color effect face yarns may comprise a total denier of at least 100, 125, 150, 175, 200, 225, 250, 275, 300, 325, 350, 375, 400, 425, 450, 475, 500, 525, 550, 575, 600, 625, 650, 675, 700, 725, 750, 775, 800, 825, or 850 and/or not more than 5000, 4000, 3000, 2900, 2800, 2700, 2600, 2500, 2000, 1750, 1500, 1250, or 1000. In certain embodiments, the color effect face yarns may comprise a total denier of 200 to 3600.

As discussed above, the color effect yarns described herein may be used to produce a variety of tufted end products, such as carpets, floorcoverings, and other textiles.

Thus, one or more embodiments of the present invention generally concern a color effect face yarn made using the process described herein. Additionally, or in the alternative, one or more embodiments of the present invention generally concern a tufted item of manufacture comprising the color effect face yarn described herein.

DEFINITIONS

It should be understood that the following is not intended to be an exclusive list of defined terms. Other definitions may be provided in the foregoing description, such as, for example, when accompanying the use of a defined term in context.

As used herein, the terms “a,” “an,” and “the” mean one or more.

As used herein, the term “and/or,” when used in a list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items can be employed by itself or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination, B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination.

As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” are open-ended transition terms used to transition from a subject recited before the term to one or more elements recited after the term, where the element or elements listed after the transition term are not necessarily the only elements that make up the subject.

As used herein, the terms “having,” “has,” and “have” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” provided above.

As used herein, the terms “including,” “include,” and “included” have the same open-ended meaning as “comprising,” “comprises,” and “comprise” provided above.

Numerical Ranges

The present description uses numerical ranges to quantify certain parameters relating to the invention. It should be understood that when numerical ranges are provided, such ranges are to be construed as providing literal support for claim limitations that only recite the lower value of the range as well as claim limitations that only recite the upper value of the range. For example, a disclosed numerical range of 10 to 100 provides literal support for a claim reciting “greater than 10” (with no upper bounds) and a claim reciting “less than 100” (with no lower bounds).

Claims Not Limited to Disclosed Embodiments

The preferred forms of the invention described above are to be used as illustration only, and should not be used in a limiting sense to interpret the scope of the present invention. Modifications to the exemplary embodiments, set forth above, could be readily made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

The inventors hereby state their intent to rely on the Doctrine of Equivalents to determine and assess the reasonably fair scope of the present invention as it pertains to any apparatus not materially departing from but outside the literal scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products, said process comprising: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors, wherein each of said drawn singles yarns has a denier of 100 to 320; (b) stuffer box crimping said drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) converging said drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (d) entangling said yarn bundle to entangle said bundled singles yarns and thereby form said face yarn.
 2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising twisting, false-twisting, and/or wrapping of said face yarn subsequent to said entangling of step (d).
 3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said face yarn comprises in the range of 2 to 8 singles yarns.
 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein said face yarn comprises a total denier of 200 to
 3600. 5. The process according to claim 1, wherein said initial singles yarns are formed from a polyamide, a polyester, a polyolefin, or a combination thereof.
 6. The process according to claim 1, wherein said initial singles yarns are formed from at least one polyamide.
 7. A tufted goods face yarn manufactured according to claim
 1. 8. A tufted good comprising said face yarn manufactured according to claim
 1. 9. A process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products, said process comprising: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors, wherein each of said drawn singles yarns has a denier of 100 to 320; (b) stuffer box crimping said drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) entangling said drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of entangled singles yarns; (d) converging said entangled singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (e) entangling said yarn bundle to entangle said bundled singles yarns and thereby form said face yarn.
 10. The process according to claim 9, further comprising twisting, false-twisting, and/or wrapping of said face yarn subsequent to said entangling of step (e).
 11. The process according to claim 9, wherein said face yarn comprises in the range of 2 to 8 singles yarns.
 12. The process according to claim 9, wherein said initial singles yarns are formed from at least one polyamide.
 13. A tufted goods face yarn manufactured according to claim
 9. 14. A tufted good comprising said face yarn manufactured according to claim
 9. 15. A process for manufacturing a face yarn for tufted products, said process comprising: (a) drawing a plurality of initial singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn singles yarns, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise continuous filament yarns that are undrawn, wherein said initial singles yarns comprise two or more singles yarns exhibiting different colors, wherein each of said drawn singles yarns has a denier of 200 to 320; (b) crimping said drawn singles yarns to thereby form a plurality of drawn and crimped singles yarns; (c) converging said drawn and crimped singles yarns to thereby form a yarn bundle comprising bundled single yarns; and (d) entangling said yarn bundle to entangle said bundled singles yarns and thereby form said face yarn, wherein said face yarn comprises in the range of 2 to 8 singles yarns.
 16. The process according to claim 15, wherein each of said initial singles yarns comprises 10 to 20 filaments, wherein said face yarn comprises a total denier of 200 to
 3600. 17. The process according to claim 16, wherein said drawing of step (a) draws said initial singles yarn at a draw ratio in the range of 2.5 to 5.0.
 18. The process according to claim 17, wherein said initial singles yarns are formed from at least one polyamide.
 19. A tufted goods face yarn manufactured according to claim
 17. 20. A tufted good comprising said face yarn manufactured according to claim
 17. 